


When Your Heart's Not Open

by TheQueenOfWinter



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Sister-Sister Relationship, Sister/Sister Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 02:17:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4041931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenOfWinter/pseuds/TheQueenOfWinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon divergence AU. The Duke of Weselton arrived late to the coronation party and wasn't there to interrupt Anna's conversation with Elsa. If Anna can't convince Elsa to open the gates, she can at least try to make her open up her heart. Mostly fluff but some angst. Eventual Elsanna, incest/icest. Rating will probably change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

She ran towards the dais, holding up her dress so she wouldn't trip; the last thing Anna wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of all those people. All those people who were watching her...

Anna came to a halt and waved awkwardly, smiling at everyone, until Kai cleared his throat and gestured towards her sister. Anna's face fell. Did he mean they were supposed to stand next to each other? Did Kai not know that Elsa never wanted to even speak to her? He should know that; he was one of the castle's oldest servants, after all.

But he ushered Anna over towards Elsa.

"Here?" Anna asked, thinking Kai must have made a mistake. "Are you sure? Because I don't think I'm supposed to - Oh!" He grabbed her arms and positioned her right next to Elsa, then backed away, leaving them together.

"Okay..." Anna tried to look anywhere except at her sister, which was difficult, since they were now just inches apart.  _Too close!_  she thought, and glanced quickly at Elsa's face. She didn't look angry. But she  _did_  look beautiful...

 _Don't stare!_  Anna told herself, and lowered her eyes, which were quickly drawn to Elsa's rather large and shapely breasts.  _No! Don't stare at her boobs! Just step away and hope that she doesn't notice..._  Anna thought, taking a step to her right and fixing her eyes on the floor.  _She probably doesn't want me to be here_.

Anna sneaked another quick look at Elsa, who hadn't moved.  _She's probably just going to ignore me, as usual_ , she thought, and focused on the applauding crowd.

Elsa could see Anna's nervous fidgeting out of the corner of her eye, but after thirteen years of separation, it wasn't exactly going to be easy to reconnect with her. But Elsa had to try. She owed it to her sister, considering she had barely even seen Anna since their childhood.

"Hi," Elsa said, quietly.

Anna jumped.  _Is she talking to me? Really?_  Anna thought, in disbelief. She hadn't expected that. She looked over at Elsa, who was looking right at her, with a small, shy smile.

"'Hi' me?" Anna asked, not sure how to react.

Elsa nodded.

"Oh." This was a pleasant surprise. "Um. Hi," Anna replied.

Elsa was glad that Anna had responded. So far, everything seemed to be going exactly as she had planned, from the important things like keeping her powers under control at the ceremony, right down to the finer details. Elsa had known the dress she had chosen for Anna would look good, but she hadn't expected it to look this good, nor Anna to be so beautiful. The way her freckled shoulders were displayed by the dress... Just beautiful...  _Tell her_  , Elsa thought. So she did.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Anna said, feeling heat rise to her face at the unexpected compliment. "You look beautifuller!" she said, leaning closer, but then realised what she had said. "I mean, not fuller. You don't look fuller, but more beautiful..." Anna hoped she hadn't messed things up already. But it seemed to be all right.

"Thank you," Elsa replied, grinning at Anna's awkwardness.  _So adorable..._

"So..." she continued, looking out at the Great Hall in front of them. "This is what a party looks like."

"It's warmer than I thought," Anna blurted out.  _Or maybe that's just me..._

"And what is that amazing smell?"

The two of them caught a delicious scent coming from across the hall.

"Chocolate!" they exclaimed in unison, and started laughing. Just like old times...

Maybe things hadn't changed quite so much after all. Their eyes met after their laughter faded away, but Elsa quickly looked back out at the party.

Anna, however, kept her gaze fixed on Elsa's face as she thought of a way to continue their conversation. Then she had an idea for the perfect way to keep Elsa's attention. She took a deep breath, summoning the courage to ask her.

"I was wondering..." Anna began, pausing as Elsa's deep blue eyes met her own again. "Will you dance with me?"

A million thoughts rushed through Elsa's mind before she could answer. It was too dangerous, she couldn't risk physical contact...

She could see Anna's face falling after a couple of moments of silence. Elsa opened her mouth to decline, prepared to let her sister down for the latest time in the series of disappointments that made up their relationship.

Anna could sense that Elsa was going to say no, but she wasn't going to give up that easily; ever since she was little she could remember wanting to dance with Elsa at their first party, and she was not going to let the opportunity to do so pass her by.

"Please?" Anna said, holding out her hand and trying to renew her smile.

Elsa's will to resist dissolved. Every instinct in her soul was aching to be close to her sister like they used to be. And she realised that she was so relaxed that she couldn't even feel her powers trying to come to the surface.  _It's only for today_ , she thought to herself.  _And it would mean a lot to Anna. Just a few more hours until the gates close again and all this will be over. She, no,_  we both  _deserve to have a little fun_.

"I'd love to," she replied, thrilling to see Anna's face light up and blush even deeper. Elsa signalled to Kai and undid the clasp of her cape. She had worn it partially as an excuse to avoid dancing with anyone, but for this one occasion, and for Anna, she was prepared to change her plans.

Kai took Elsa's cape from her and suppressed a smile as he watched her cautiously take hold of Anna's hand and walk onto the dance floor. He had hoped that this party would give the sisters a chance to bond, and it looked like he was going to see them share at least a little occasion of happiness for the first time in years.

Elsa could hear her heart beating loudly as she walked with Anna, lightly holding her sister's hand in her own gloved one. This contact had proven much easier than she had expected, so dancing with her sister wasn't going to be very difficult. Hopefully.

Despite intending to proclaim the contrary if asked, Elsa, in fact, could dance very well. At least, she had studied the theory in detail. And she could remember enough from her lessons as a young child to dance at least adequately. She hoped so, anyway...

The crowd parted in front of the Queen and the Princess and they came to the centre of the hall. As if on cue, the band began to play a waltz, and Elsa gently placed a hand on Anna's waist, forgetting her powers completely as she felt Anna's hand rest on her shoulder.

The sweet notes of the music resonated around them, and Elsa found that she got lost in the rhythm as she carefully led Anna in the steps of the dance, making sure not to hold her hand too tightly, only touching her lightly on her hand and her waist, leaving as large a gap between their bodies as possible, and taking care to avoid the other couples around them.

It wasn't what Anna had imagined her first dance at a ball would be like; mostly because it was with her sister rather than some handsome prince, but Anna wouldn't have changed it for the world. Even though Elsa didn't attempt any fancy manoeuvres like some of the other couples were doing, it was still fun. And it suddenly hit Anna that she was actually  _dancing_  with  _Elsa_ , the sister she had hardly seen for years.

Anna found herself examining her sister's face, while she was focusing on not getting too close to the other dancers.

Elsa had always been beautiful when they were younger, but Anna could see that her beauty had grown with her. Her pale skin was flawless, and she had a faint sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks, although not as many as Anna had. She was about to start counting them when Elsa's gaze returned to her.

Their eyes met again and Anna felt her heart jump. She giggled nervously and felt the need to break the silence that had grown between them.

"We always said we wanted to dance at the parties when we were little," she commented, remembering how much they had looked forward to growing up and being allowed to attend their parents' parties. Well, before everything else happened.

"Yeah..." Elsa replied, returning her smile, but feeling slightly sad as she remembered the fun they used to have trying to sneak into the parties that their parents held, and the plans they had made in their childish innocence before it had all been ruined, by her own failure to...

Elsa stiffened as she became aware of the familiar feeling of her magic rising to the surface in response to her emotions. She stopped dancing.

But luckily, at that moment the musicians finished playing and the crowd applauded around them.

Elsa immediately let go of Anna and took a small step away, smiling to avoid upsetting her.

"Thank you," Anna said. She could tell that Elsa had been somewhat reluctant to dance with her, but even though it had only been one short dance, it had been a lot of fun. She curtseyed, giggling playfully.

Elsa bowed, and found herself giggling, too. Glad that her powers seemed to have hidden themselves again, for the moment at least, she walked quickly but gracefully away from the dance floor before anyone else tried to ask her to dance.

Anna hurried along next to Elsa, not ready to stop spending time with her yet; they had a lot of catching up to do and they had only just started.

"Hey, let's go and investigate the food! Maybe we can find that chocolate," she suggested, putting her hand lightly on Elsa's arm.

Elsa tensed, but Anna didn't touch her for very long, so she almost immediately relaxed again.

"Sure!" she said, and led the way to the nearest food table.

As soon as they got to it, Anna picked up a slice of chocolate cake and took a huge bite. With all the excitement from the coronation and the party, she had forgotten that she hadn't eaten all day.

Elsa took a small chocolate from one of the displays and ate it delicately, watching with amusement as Anna continued to stuff her face.

"You're certainly hungry!" she commented, stifling a giggle.

Anna suddenly realised that she was eating like a pig in front of her sister, who wasn't just her sister anymore, she was also her Queen. She swallowed and grinned sheepishly at Elsa.

"Sorry! I didn't eat any breakfast," she explained. Luckily Elsa didn't seem to be annoyed with her lack of manners. Instead she looked concerned after hearing that Anna hadn't eaten for the whole day.

"Well, there's plenty of food here," she said. "I made sure to order all your favourites: sandwiches, krumkaker, and chocolate, of course."

Anna was touched that Elsa had remembered her favourite foods after all those years, and that she still cared enough to arrange for the cooks to prepare them.

"Chocolate was always our favourite," Anna said, and finished her cake, trying to eat more politely this time. Unfortunately, despite her efforts, she failed and managed to smear chocolate onto her face.

Elsa laughed, forgetting her powers momentarily, and instinctively reached over to wipe Anna's face with her gloved thumb.

"And you were always a messy eater," she said.

The two sisters shared a tender moment smiling at each other and silently reliving many precious memories in their minds.

"You haven't changed at all, Anna," Elsa said, fondly. She was glad to see that Anna was safe and happy. Before she had to shut her out again.

Anna was about to take this opportunity to ask Elsa whether things were going to change for both of them now that Elsa was in charge of the kingdom, and whether they could spend more time together like this. But just as she had opened her mouth, she was interrupted by Kai's voice coming from behind them.

"Your Majesty," he began. They turned around to see that he was presenting a small, grey-haired man to them. "The Duke of Weasel Town," he announced, with a bow.

"Weselton," the little man snapped, glaring at Kai. "The Duke of Weselton," he corrected, advancing towards the Queen and the Princess.

With his arrival, the mood of the party had changed slightly. This man had an undoubtedly creepy presence about him, and Elsa and Anna didn't quite know what to expect.

"Sorry I'm late, Your Majesty," the Duke said. "I definitely wasn't snooping around the castle trying to uncover your secrets... Ahem! As your closest partner in trade, it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as Queen."

Elsa didn't like the lecherous look he gave her, and she liked the absurd, flourishing bow he performed even less.

As the Duke bowed his head down, his toupee came unstuck and uncovered his bald head. He didn't seem to notice, but Elsa and Anna did. They both looked at each other and burst into muffled laughter. However, Elsa quickly composed herself.

"Thank you," she said, returning his bow. "Only I've already had my first dance." She looked proudly at Anna, who seemed like she was about to explode with laughter at any second, and now Elsa could feel her own laughter bursting to get out.

"Oh..." The Duke looked offended.

"Please excuse me," Elsa said, thinking it was best to avoid offending him even more by laughing at him to his face. "My sister and I have to be... somewhere else."

Anna quickly followed Elsa to a corner on the other side of the hall, where they dissolved into laughter.

"He was ridiculous!" Anna burst out, between giggles.

"The worst thing is I'll probably have to meet him for business, and now I won't be able to keep a straight face!" Elsa replied.

Their laughter soon subsided, and Anna was loving every moment of Elsa's undivided attention. They were so close, just like they used to be.

"This is so nice," Anna said, looking into Elsa's eyes. "I wish it could be like this all the time."

"Me too," Elsa said, returning Anna's smile for a couple of moments, before she caught herself. She had to as be honest with Anna as she could. Her face fell, and she turned away. "But it can't."

Anna was unsure how to react to this sudden change of mood between them. She refused to believe that the fun they had just had this evening had been a lie. She wanted an explanation. "Why not? I mean if we -"

"It just can't," Elsa said, firmly, avoiding Anna's attempts to touch her.

"But why?" Anna asked again, a firm note in her own voice. Her hands were clenched at her sides as she stared at Elsa's back. She could feel the past thirteen years of pain and confusion ready to break out unless Elsa gave her a proper reason for all of this.

Elsa could feel the tension rising between them. She had guessed that something like this would happen. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself before turning to her sister.

"Anna, don't make a scene. Promise me."

"I..." Anna thought a scene was just what was needed if it would make Elsa tell her the truth. But she could see a hint of desperation in Elsa's eyes, and she didn't want to ruin the party. "I promise."

"And I promise you, I'll explain everything when the party is over," Elsa said, grateful that she had avoided an argument. Once everyone had left and they were alone in the castle again, it would be safe reveal her secret to Anna. "Meet me in the library after my speech and then we can talk."

"O-okay," Anna said. She was excited that she was going to get some answers at last, even if she had to wait until midnight when the party would finish. But she still felt the issue of whatever it was that Elsa was hiding from her acting like a barrier between them.

Elsa smiled stiffly. "I should go and talk to the other guests," she said. She turned her back on Anna and walked towards her throne.

Anna watched her go and decided the best thing to do was to try and enjoy the rest of the party. Maybe it would make the time seem to go by faster. She made her way back to the food table although she saw that a crowd had now gathered in front of it and was blocking her way. She hoped there was still some of that chocolate cake, or some of her other favourite foods left.

Anna tapped the shoulder of the man in front of her to get him to move, but was surprised when he turned around.

"Hans!" she exclaimed, happily. He would be a perfect distraction.

"Princess Anna!" he bowed to her.

Anna curtseyed and giggled; she wasn't used to the company of men, not young, handsome ones, anyway.

"How are you enjoying the party?" he asked, giving her a dazzling smile.

"It's great!" Anna said, flattered that he was interested in her. "Although it's even better now you're here. But there's still one thing missing. Can you pass me a krumkake?"

His smile turned into one of confusion and amusement. "Sorry, a what?"

"Krumkake." Anna pushed past him to the table and took a couple of them from their tray. "Have you never eaten them before?"

"I'm afraid I've never had the opportunity," Hans replied.

"Here!" she handed a krumkake to him. "I'll teach you how to eat it," she said, seeing his confused expression. "Just bite it. Like this!" Anna ate her own, managing to avoid breaking it or getting any of the cream on her face.

Hans lifted it up to his mouth and attempted to copy Anna. He looked to her for reassurance.

"Yeah, the whole thing! You got it!" she grinned at him. Her grin soon turned into laughter as she watched the krumkake crumble all over Hans' face.

"You just need some more practice!" Anna said, and was about to fetch another krumkake or two when they heard the sound of the band tuning their instruments. She glanced at Hans, who seemed to have had the same thought as her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, and offered his hand.

Anna blushed at his charming smile and took his hand. "You may!" she replied.

She let Hans lead her to the dance floor, gazing up at him the whole time, thinking that maybe this was going to be the start of something... No, that was too good to be true. Anna didn't want to jinx anything by getting her hopes up.

Anna saw annoyance suddenly flicker across Hans' face when the band started playing the tune of a popular folk dance, rather than something just for couples.

They got into position with the other pairs of dancers and soon had to change partners as the dance progressed.

Anna didn't entirely mind that she hadn't got to dance alone with Hans, it was still fun. At many points in her life, Anna had believed that she would never have so much fun in her own home. There were so many new faces, so many new people all enjoying themselves. Anna knew she would remember this day forever.

By the time the dance finished, Anna felt like she had danced with every nobleman in Arendelle. She curtseyed to the middle-aged man she had just been dancing with and went off to find Elsa.

Anna tried looking out the nearest window to see if it was nearly midnight, but was so focused on trying to get a view of the clock tower that she didn't notice she was about to bump into someone.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she ran into the man's chest. "Sorry..." Anna muttered as the man steadied her. She looked up to see a familiar face smiling down at her. "Hans! Again...!"

She spent the next hour or so in polite conversation with Hans, although Anna would have enjoyed it more if she didn't want the party to hurry up and finish. She hoped she'd be able to see him some other time, when she wasn't so distracted.

Anna found herself glancing repeatedly out of the window at the clock tower while she automatically recited all the pleasantries and conversation techniques that her etiquette master had taught her.

Then the sound of music reached their ears when the musicians struck up again for another lively dance.

As people crowded towards the dance floor, Anna spotted Elsa on the other side of the hall. She was wearing her cape again, and currently appeared unoccupied. Anna wanted to tell her about Hans and all the fun she had been having. She wanted to know whether Elsa was having a good time, too. And maybe she could even convince her to end the party a little early...

Hans coughed slightly and repeated himself a little louder, getting Anna's attention. "Shall we dance?" he asked, managing to maintain his handsome smile.

"Actually, I'm kind of tired from the last dance, so maybe not this time," she said, walking away just as a large blonde woman who had been hovering around grabbed Hans and pulled him towards the dance floor.

Anna felt a little guilty for letting Hans down when he obviously wanted to dance with her, but she planned to ensure that she'd see Hans again, and that there'd be plenty more parties like this in the future, no matter what Elsa said. She would explain everything to Elsa, who was sure to change her mind about it when she knew how happy it made Anna.

The Princess started walking towards her sister, but was forced to stop when the Duke of Weselton appeared as if from nowhere and ambushed her.

"Aha! Princess Anna!" he exclaimed. "May I have the pleasure?" The Duke linked Anna's arm and yanked her onto the dance floor before she could protest.

Anna suddenly found herself standing in front of the Duke, who was at boob-height, but fortunately - or maybe unfortunately - he didn't spend much time standing and was soon leaping and flailing around her in some sort of bizarre improvised dance, completely at odds with the other dancers.

Anna did her best to dance along to the music, but she tried to move as little as possible since the Duke's moves were unpredictable. She watched him dance around her while his toupee flapped up and down, making a disgusting noise.

He suddenly sprang into the air, remarkably high for such a short man, and landed right on Anna's feet.

"Ow!" she yelped.

But the Duke either didn't hear her in his pomposity, or didn't care that he had hurt her because he immediately began to interrogate her.

"Nobody I've spoken to today, and believe me, I spoke to  _everyone_ : guards, servants, guests, but not a single one has told me why the gates were shut for so long. And all of us are dying to know." He leant up towards Anna and grabbed her hand. "Do you know the reason?"

"No..." Anna replied, leaning back as far as she was able.

She managed to endure more of the Duke's questions and questionable dance moves until the musicians finished playing, and the second the music stopped, Anna gratefully made her escape.

Ignoring the Duke's offer of another dance, Anna hurried towards Elsa as fast as her sore feet could carry her.

Elsa was just finishing talking to some nobles, so Anna watched them for a little while until they left her alone again.

Anna gazed at her sister as she returned their bows, and noted how graceful and refined Elsa was. She made it all look so effortless, unlike Anna, who had to work hard to avoid embarrassing herself in social situations, considering their infrequency in her life up until recently.

Anna approached Elsa, hoping that she still wanted to speak to her after their almost-argument. "Hi," she said, nervously.

Elsa turned, smiling warmly when she saw Anna. She was glad to see her sister again, and was still trying to get used to the reality of being able to actually speak to her. Anna was positively glowing with happiness and Elsa was pleased to have given her this experience before she had to close the gates again. But Anna would learn to understand and accept it once she heard the truth.

Anna could still feel the secret hanging between them and preventing her from connecting with Elsa, although now she felt excitement instead of anger; soon she was going to know what nobody else did! Elsa trusted her enough to let her know!

"How was dancing with the Duke of Weselton?" Elsa asked, an amused glint in her eyes. "I saw he managed to show you his unique... talents!"

Anna laughed weakly. "It could've been better," she replied. "How was, um, greeting people?"

"It looks like you're about to find out for yourself," Elsa said, and turned to a blond man in a blue uniform approaching them.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," he said in a softly-accented voice as he bowed. "Congratulations on a beautiful coronation ceremony, and this wonderful party!"

"Thank you," Elsa replied. "We are glad you're enjoying the festivities."

"I'll tell everyone back in Ireland how lovely Arendelle and its ladies are!" the man continued.

While Elsa continued her conversation, or rather listening politely to the man as he talked to her, Anna noticed Hans walking up towards them.

Elsa could sense a change in Anna's manner and glanced over to see her blushing and giving a little wave to a young man.

Anna waited for the Irish dignitary to say goodbye and rushed over to Hans, taking his arm.

"Come and meet my sister!" she said, leading Hans towards Elsa with a huge grin on her face. "I present Prince Hans of the Southern Isles," Anna announced, proudly, hoping to get Elsa's approval. She hoped that seeing how happy she was with Hans would make Elsa change her mind about keeping the gates closed.

"Your Majesty." Hans bowed deeply.

Oh, a Southern Islander. Elsa thought she recognised his uniform; she wondered which one of the thirteen princes he was. She noticed Anna hadn't let go of his arm and grew slightly worried.

"This is a truly delightful party, and I've been fortunate to spend most of it with your charming sister." Hans looked down at Anna, who giggled.

Elsa decided she didn't like this man. There was something ... off about his eyes and his expression when Anna wasn't looking at him. She made a mental note to research him, as soon as she got the chance.

Luckily, Elsa was spared from having to make conversation with him by the bells of the clock tower striking midnight, which could be heard over Hans' voice as he attempted to ensure that he'd be able to return to the castle.

"... if I may have permission to - "

"Excuse me," Elsa cut him off mid-sentence and gave a polite but reserved bow before leaving them to speak to the Royal Handler.

Anna and Hans exchanged a glance.

Then Anna realised that it was the moment she had been waiting for.

The Royal Handler raised his voice above the murmur of the party and made the final announcement of the night.

"Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, the party is over. Please make your way to the courtyard for Her Majesty's speech." He and the guards began to usher the guests out of the doors of the Great Hall.

Anna held on tightly to Hans' arm as they walked through the crowd towards the doors. Her heart was fluttering with excitement as she looked back over her shoulder at Elsa, and wondered what secrets her sister was going to reveal to her that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Anna walked out of the doors with Hans and into the castle courtyard. It was packed with citizens all waiting to get a glimpse of their newly-crowned Queen; some people had even brought their children out at this late hour. Anna was sure they would remember this day when they were grown up.

She could hear people exclaiming "it's the Princess!" and happily returned the waves and smiles that they gave her.

Anna giggled, not used to being the focus of so much attention, and looked up at Hans, who was smiling down at her. He pulled her closer to him and guided her through the press of people.  _He's so chivalrous!_  Anna thought. This day seemed to be giving her everything she had wanted, Elsa was finally going to talk to her,  _and_  she had met Hans! Now all she had to do was convince Elsa to open the gates and everything would be perfect.

The nobles from the party mingled with the townsfolk, all of them united by the shared anticipation of seeing the new Queen and hearing her speech.

Anna and Hans found a place with a good view of the balcony, and the entire courtyard waited, humming with excitement for a few minutes before two ceremonial guards carrying trumpets came out onto the balcony and played a fanfare.

Immediately, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause as Queen Elsa of Arendelle stepped gracefully onto the balcony to address her awaiting citizens.

She stood, tall and fair, with her gloved hands clasped together in front of her as she smiled benevolently at her people.

The cheering died down and was replaced by an awed silence.

"My dear citizens, and honoured guests," Elsa began, her voice carrying clearly throughout the courtyard. "I am most grateful that all of you have gathered here to wish me well on the first day of my reign. The support you have shown me today has moved me deeply, and it gives me confidence that you will continue to assist me as I dedicate my service to the protection of my country and its people, now and in the years to come."

She paused for a few short moments, and Anna noticed that Elsa didn't even have a script; she had memorised her entire speech! Well, she had always been clever ever since they were children.

"It is my hope that Arendelle will remain the beautiful, peaceful, and prosperous kingdom that it always has been," she continued. "And I promise that I will devote everything within my power to ensure that it does, so that we can all continue to live in safety and happiness. I thank each one of you for your loyalty, and I bid you all goodnight."

More clapping and cheering burst from the crowd all around, with many shouts of "long live the Queen!" Men threw their hats in the air, and everyone rejoiced to have such a beautiful and magnanimous ruler.

Anna applauded with everyone else, but thought that Elsa's speech had been more brief than she was expecting. She also noted that Elsa had avoided mentioning anything to do with the gates, but as far as she could tell, nobody else seemed to have noticed. Anna felt a thrill of excitement; she really was going to be the only one to know the truth!

Elsa remained smiling at the crowd for a couple of moments, and then turned to go back inside the castle. The two guards followed, closing the doors behind them and leaving the balcony empty once again.

The cheering continued for some minutes, until the castle guards began to usher everyone out through the gates as they prepared to secure the castle.

Anna was eager to run straight to the library, where Elsa had promised to meet her, but she had to say goodbye to Hans first.

"Thanks for a wonderful evening, Hans," she said, as she walked with him to the gates.

Hans took both of Anna's hands in his and fixed her with an intense gaze.

"When will I see you again?" he asked.

Anna blushed, this really was a dream come true!

"Soon! I'll make sure of it," she replied, squeezing his hands. "But I have to go!"

Hans reached out towards Anna as she backed away, staring after her until the gates closed on him.

Anna hoped that after tonight, the gates would open again. All she had to do was explain how much it meant to her, and Elsa would understand.

Anna immediately started rushing to the library, practically flying up the stairs in her eagerness to talk to her sister.

She skidded to a halt in front of the library and held up her hand to knock on the door. Then she paused. Elsa had never opened a door to her before, and Anna was so used to rejection. But this time it was different; Elsa had told her to meet her here. Anna swallowed her nervousness and knocked her usual tune of five knocks on the door.

And, for the first time in forever, it opened.

"Come in, Anna," Elsa said, holding the door for her as she entered the library, and closing it firmly behind her.

Anna saw that she was wearing neither her crown, nor her cape, and she looked solemn.

"Stand by the fire," Elsa said.

"I don't know why we need a fire in the middle of summer, but sure!" Anna replied. She went over and stood in the warm glow of the roaring fire, waiting for a few moments until Elsa began to talk.

"I promised I'd give you an explanation for everything, but, Anna, you have to keep what I tell you tonight a secret," Elsa said, managing to look directly in Anna's eyes. "Kai, Gerda and the other servants know, but it cannot leave this castle!"

"It's okay, Elsa! You can trust me!" Anna reassured her. "I won't tell anyone!"

Elsa smiled weakly in gratitude, but her expression soon became serious as she prepared to tell her sister the secret that she had been carrying around like a burden for the majority of her life.

"I was born with a curse," Elsa began. "I can create ice and snow, and freeze things by touching them." She slowly removed one of her gloves and the temperature of the room immediately dropped. She demonstrated her power by grasping a large candlestick that stood on the floor by the library's couch. Frost immediately spread from her bare hand and travelled up the length of the candlestick, extinguishing the flame. When she removed her hand, the candlestick was covered in a thick layer of solid blue ice.

Anna was speechless with surprise, and also wonder. She had never seen anything so amazing.

"The gates have to stay closed, Anna," Elsa said firmly, putting her glove back on. "We can't let the world know about this. They won't understand. People could hurt me. Or I could hurt other people... Like how I hurt you..."

Elsa's vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears. It was hard for her to think about that night, and she had never spoken about it. She felt her throat constrict with the rush of emotions when she tried.

But she had to explain to Anna how important it was for her to stay away. Anna had to know how dangerous she was. At last, Elsa managed to get the words out, her voice weak with guilt and sadness.

"That was how you got your white strand of hair. Because I... One night, we were playing and I lost control. I hurt you. But a troll healed you and removed your memories of my powers so it would never happen again."

Suddenly Anna gasped and had to sit down in a nearby chair as countless memories flooded her mind, flashing behind her eyes. Memories of her and Elsa and magic, beautiful magic.

"I... remember," she breathed. And everything connected; the gloves, hardly ever touching, never letting people come too close, even Anna's dream of being kissed by a troll, it all finally made sense!

But to hide a secret like that for so long, to give up  _everything_  just to... All for Anna...

"Oh, Elsa," Anna murmured, getting up from the chair and reaching out to her sister.

Elsa abruptly backed away, crossing her arms and sadly meeting Anna's gaze.

"Now you know," Elsa said. "That's why I have to stay away from you." She backed away further, putting the couch between them as a barrier. "To keep you safe," Elsa continued. "Because..."  _Because I love you, Anna, even though I know I will never deserve your love in return after what I've done._

Elsa turned away, her eyes passing over their father's coronation portrait as she walked to the window. "I have to protect you, Anna. You're all I have left... If I lose you, too..."

And everything overwhelmed her. Her suppressed grief and sorrow manifested in a gentle snowfall that chilled the room and put out the fire.

Elsa thought about the seriousness of her situation and the struggles she would have to face with hiding this secret from the world. She knew she shouldn't be ruling, not like this. Elsa felt very alone as she looked out at the full moon before frost covered the inside of the window and dimmed the view.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this," she said in a soft whisper, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wish none of this had happened."

Then Elsa felt the sudden warmth of Anna's body pressing against her, embracing her from behind with her arms around her waist. Elsa stiffened, she had not felt such warmth for a long time, had almost forgotten what being embraced felt like.

"Hold me," Anna said, her voice small and vulnerable.

Elsa could feel Anna's tears wetting the fabric of her dress. She was scared to move and stood still, frozen in place.

"I can't."

Anna remained where she was, feeling the snow settle on her bare shoulders and the cold all around her, yet it was surprisingly warm where she was touching her sister.

Elsa prayed silently for Anna to let go of her, prayed for nothing to go wrong, but Anna showed no signs of moving.

She stepped forward quickly out of Anna's reach and composed herself. The snowfall stopped.

"You have to stay away, please understand," Elsa said, with one final glance at her sister. "Goodbye, Anna."

She pulled the doors open and ran out, leaving Anna alone in the dark, cold library to wipe away her tears.

Anna stood and thought about all the things that had just happened; she had certainly got the answers that she had sought for, only they were not at all what she had expected.

She admitted to herself that Elsa had been right to shut people out and keep her magic a secret, many wouldn't understand it and would be afraid of her.

But that didn't mean that Elsa had to shut  _her_  out anymore, not now she knew the truth!

It didn't matter to Anna that the gates were still closed if she could just get her sister back. She knew she had to get Elsa to open up to her. Maybe then, when they had worked it all out together, Elsa would be willing to change her mind about the gates.

Yes, there was Elsa's magic, and the accident to consider, but if they were honest with each other they could make sure it never happened again. If Elsa could control her powers in the past, like she remembered, then there was no reason why she couldn't learn to do so again, especially now she had Anna to help her.

Anna was determined to be as close to Elsa as they were all those years ago, and she wasn't going to let her sister shut her out to deal with her problems alone.


	3. Chapter 3

It was afternoon by the time Anna woke up the next day, although this was not unusual; the Princess was not a morning person. And it had taken a long time for her to get to sleep. Anna had spent most of the night lying awake taking in everything Elsa had told her, and deciding what she was going to say to her sister today.

Anna sat in front of the mirror brushing her long red hair and taming it into her favourite style of two braids.

She separated her white streak of hair from the surrounding fiery tresses and wound it around her finger, glad that she knew the true reason for it at last. And it was a much better reason than any she had ever thought of herself. Knowing that Elsa had done it was somehow comforting.

Anna knew she should probably be scared that Elsa's magic was so powerful, but she was not afraid, not at all.

Instead, she wanted to learn more about it and to see Elsa use her powers again, see her do all the amazing and beautiful things she had done in Anna's newly-retrieved memories.

Anna had decided to ask Elsa to open the gates again, only to let just a few people in. A few nice people, like Hans. And maybe together they could ask them what they thought about magic to see whether it would be safe to tell anyone else or not. Anna was sure it would be fine, if she could get Elsa to agree with her.

Anna finished her usual belated morning routine, then went to the butler's pantry to find Kai.

The castle butler was sitting at his desk, busily organising the latest pile of letters and invitations addressed to the new Queen when he heard Anna's tuneful knock on the door.

"Come in, Your Highness," he said as she entered the room. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, Kai," said Anna. "I was just wondering, is Elsa in her room?"

"No, Her Majesty's in her study this aftern-" he began, catching himself as he remembered Elsa's orders not to mention anything to Anna, then looking at her with a surprised and embarrassed expression on his face.

Anna grinned, realising she had got Kai to give away Elsa's location without even trying.

"Thanks, Kai! Bye!"

"Princess Anna, wait!" he called after her, but she had already gone. Kai sighed to himself as he returned to the letters and hoped that the Queen would start to spend some time with her sister instead of trying to avoid her.

Anna ran happily through the halls to Elsa's study, thinking that she had never been inside it before, not even when it was their father's.

She stopped in front of the door and almost knocked, but then thought that Elsa definitely wouldn't answer it after their discussion last night. So she took a deep breath and turned the door handle. Finding it unlocked, she just went inside.

Elsa jumped when she heard the door open, and a second time when she saw Anna walk into her study.

"You shouldn't be here, Anna," she said, pushing back her chair, desperate to put as much distance between them as possible. "I told you to stay away!"

"I know!" Anna replied, holding up her arms placatingly as she came closer. "But I won't be here long, and I just wanted to see how you were. How was your first night as Queen?"

Elsa paused, forgetting her panic to get away from her sister after considering her question. It was cute and silly, and Elsa remembered how much she loved Anna and missed just being with her to experience her unique way of seeing the world.  _Besides_ , she thought.  _Spending a few minutes with her today won't hurt. Just stay calm and keep it under control._

She was flattered that Anna cared how she was, and she also wanted to make sure that Anna was all right, too. Hopefully she wasn't going to ask about the castle gates.

"It was fine, thank you," Elsa replied, smiling with a hint of sadness.

Anna smiled back, pleased that Elsa wasn't being as evasive as she had expected. Maybe if she asked now, Elsa would agree to open the gates... Anna decided to try.

"I was thinking... If we o-"

"No." Elsa cut her off, guessing correctly what she was going to suggest. "I know what you want me to do, and it simply can't be done. I already explained this to you, Anna. The gates are staying closed."

"But didn't we have fun last night?" Anna asked, not ready to give up. "Your magic never showed itself at the party and maybe - "

"Only with a lot of effort, Anna," Elsa replied. Of course, Anna would never be able to understand how difficult it was for Elsa to try and suppress her powers. And Elsa's efforts were currently failing. The temperature in the study had dropped significantly since their discussion had begun.

"But what are you going to do inside the castle the whole time?" Anna retorted.

"Protect the kingdom and protect you. I have to make sure we all lead safe lives."

Anna slammed her hands onto the desk, leaning closer to Elsa, her eyes desperate and her breath visible with the cold. "But Elsa, that's not living, it's just existing!"

"It's non-negotiable, Anna," Elsa said, refusing to look directly at her.

"Well, you can at least - "

Anna was interrupted by a knock at the door as Kai entered the room, shivering and folding his arms in reaction to the cold.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Your Majesty, Your Highness," he said. "But there is a Prince of the Southern Isles at the gates requesting Your Highness' presence."

"Hans...!" Anna blushed, an excited grin rising to her face.

Elsa glanced at her sister and felt a stab of unfamiliar emotion twist her insides. She didn't recognise the feeling as jealousy, she only knew she didn't want Anna to be with Hans.

"May I talk to you, please?" she asked Anna. "Alone."

Kai took the hint and bowed before exiting the study and closing the door behind him.

"Yeah... What about?" Anna said, meeting Elsa's gaze for a moment before her sister looked away again.

"Anna, what do you know about Prince Hans?" Elsa asked, trying to keep her voice as gentle as possible.

"Well, he's handsome. And charming. And chivalrous..." Anna replied. "Did I already say 'handsome'?"

"Yes. But what do you really know about him?"

"I..." Anna faltered, but wasn't going to give Elsa a reason to forbid her from seeing Hans. "I know that that I want to get to know him better. And I... I think he likes me."

Elsa sighed before meeting Anna's eyes and holding her gaze, her expression serious. "Anna, I understand this is probably all very exciting for you. But, as my heir, it is not appropriate for you to court the runt of the Southern Isles."

"Wait, what? I'm the heir? Not just the spare anymore?" Anna was used to being the youngest Princess and feeling somewhat useless compared to her sister. Naturally, now that her sister was Queen, things had changed.

"Yes."

"Wow! Of course... But what was that about Hans?"

"Do you remember your geography lessons?" Elsa asked, trying to encourage Anna to realise her situation by herself and take her away from her fairytale fantasies about a handsome prince. "What can you tell me about the Southern Isles?"

"Um, I know they're to the south-east of Arendelle. And they're not very far away, like, half a day's boat ride."

Elsa knew she was going to have to be upfront with Anna; she remembered hearing that her sister was never particularly interested in her lessons. And she needed to inform Anna about the position she was in so she was aware of the possible dangers.

Elsa got up from her chair and took out a large scroll from a nearby filing cabinet.

Anna watched Elsa, and moved out of her way as she unrolled the scroll on the desk, aware of the lingering cold surrounding her and remembering not to touch her.

"This is the family tree of House Westergård, the rulers of the Southern Isles," Elsa announced, once the scroll was fully unfurled.

"Woah. That is one huge family tree!" Anna commented. The scroll was full of names, heraldry and even miniature portraits of the royalty of the Southern Isles.

Anna looked through the document but found no sign of Hans.

Elsa pointed to a small portrait near the bottom of the scroll.

"This is the current King, and here are all the names of his thirteen sons." She traced her gloved finger down the list until she reached the final name. Anna saw it was Hans'.

"Hans is the youngest," Elsa continued. "He is thirteenth in line to the throne." She turned to Anna, meeting her eyes. "Now, consider his motives for courting you. He has no chance of ruling his own kingdom. Realistically, he is pursuing you purely for your position as the heir to Arendelle's throne. Hans would have everything to gain by marrying you. You, on the other hand, would receive almost nothing in return from a marriage with him."

Anna tried to take in what Elsa was saying.  _No, he wouldn't treat me like that... Not Hans!_  "But he's really nice! He likes me!"

"You don't know him, Anna," Elsa said. "Sometimes people are not what they appear to be."

Anna was suddenly intimidated by the scary world of politics; she didn't know as much as she should, and wished she had paid more attention during her lessons. Maybe Elsa was right...

Elsa watched her sister as she thought, fidgeting with her hands, just like how she used to when they were small. Elsa found it uncomfortable thinking that Anna was now of a marriageable age. She was still like a little girl in many ways, except of course, she was a beautiful grown woman now. Elsa knew many would be attracted to her striking beauty...

"If you must accept suitors, aim higher. Look for an equal," Elsa told her. "You're worth more than a man only the thirteenth in line. And I don't want you to get hurt by someone who is just using you to get power for himself."

Anna felt a rush of affection for her sister, and noticed that the cold in the room seemed to have disappeared.

"Thanks for caring about me, Elsa," Anna said, reaching out to touch her arm. Even though Elsa flinched and avoided her hand, Anna knew she had her best interests at heart. Although she still didn't fully believe that Hans would do something as horrible as marry her just to give himself a better position in life. "But you don't have to worry," Anna continued. "If I just - "

"You may see Prince Hans," Elsa interrupted, thinking it was better to give Anna what she wanted on this one occasion rather than risk her sneaking out to meet up with Hans illicitly; there were too many things that could go wrong if that happened. "Just this once. He can't enter the castle, but you may go out into the town to meet him with a bodyguard accompanying you." She saw Anna's happy reaction and felt pleased that she could do something nice for her. She just hoped nothing would go wrong...

"Just remember not to rush anything, Anna. And remember to keep my secret!"

"Of course I will, Elsa! Thank you!" Anna instinctively approached her sister, intending to hug her, but Elsa immediately went to the door and gave Kai orders to prepare everything.

"Do I have to take a guard?" Anna asked after Kai had left and Elsa was returning to her seat at the desk. That wasn't going to be Anna's vision of the perfect date...

"Yes," Elsa replied. I need to make sure you're protected. Now, go. And don't come and find me again, Anna, please!"

"I won't, Elsa! I promise," Anna said, with her fingers crossed behind her back. She had every intention of seeing her sister tomorrow, and every day after that. She skipped out of the study, with one final glance at Elsa before she left, and went to get ready for her date with Hans.

Anna decided to keep her everyday dress and hairstyle. Maybe it would remind Hans that she was a person as well as a Princess, just in case Elsa was right. Anyway, Anna wanted to see Hans as soon as possible.

After checking herself in the mirror to make sure she didn't have any food stains or anything on her face or clothes, she walked quickly through the halls down to the castle's main entrance.

As she walked, Anna admitted to herself that Elsa had made some good points in their discussion, but Anna thought she'd be able to change her mind about Hans. Yet she agreed that it would be sensible not to rush anything. After what Elsa had said, she wasn't one hundred percent sure about Hans anymore. Maybe ninety. Or ninety-five; a man so handsome couldn't be that bad, could he?

Anna hopped off the final steps and arrived in the entrance hall to find a guard waiting for her. He was tall and muscular, with tow-coloured hair and pale grey eyes.

"Your Highness," he said, getting down on one knee and bowing his head. "My name is Kjartan and I swear that I will give my life to protect you and your honour."

"Oh, um, thanks," Anna replied. She hadn't expected such a professional-looking guard to be assigned to accompany her.

Kjartan stood up. He really was tall. He was armed with a sword in his scabbard, and looked like he could defeat a small army single-handed.

He went to the castle door and held it open for Anna. She felt important as she walked out into the daylight; well, she was a Princess, the heir to the throne of Arendelle, after all!

Anna and the guard walked through the courtyard and out of one of the smaller side gates that were used to admit deliveries and other day-to-day business at the castle.

Hans stood a little way off and hurried towards Anna when she appeared.

"Anna!" he said, giving a little bow. "Thank you for agreeing to see me!"

"Thank you for asking to see me, Hans!" Anna replied, slightly nervous now that she was actually on a date for the first time in her life.

Hans noticed the guard as he came to stand behind Anna. It wasn't exactly hard to miss him, since he was about half a head taller than Hans, more than that with his hat. Hans eyed him suspiciously.

"Can I help you?" he asked the guard.

"Oh, that's Kjartan, my bodyguard," Anna explained. "Don't mind him. My sister insisted. You know, 'Queen's orders,'" she added, with a brief laugh.

"Oh..." Hans' eyes narrowed. Then he caught himself and offered Anna his arm, which she took immediately and the two of them, with Kjartan following behind, began to stroll around the town.

It might just have been what Elsa had said, but Anna thought Hans didn't look quite so handsome in the daylight and without the excitement of the party. Those sideburns...

And as their conversation ensued, Anna noticed that he didn't seem to have anything original to say, he just asked Anna about herself and elaborated on what she replied, reflecting it back at her. Since Anna had Elsa's secret to keep, she answered his queries in a roundabout way, and the conversation was altogether more boring than Anna had expected.

But the human contact was nice; Elsa hadn't let Anna touch her for very long, and it was something she craved.

Their conversation grew interesting when it turned to family and Hans began to talk about himself at last, as they sat side by side on the docks, watching the sun go down.

"I suppose it was different for me, growing up with brothers. Twelve of them, to be precise."

"You have how many brothers?" Anna asked, hoping her feigned surprise wasn't too over the top.

"Twelve older brothers," Hans replied.

"Wow. Your castle must have been so nice and busy," Anna commented. "I bet you were never alone with all those brothers." She envied him, imagining what it would have been like for her to have so many siblings to play with when she was a child, instead of an absent sister.

"'Nice' isn't the word I'd use to describe it," Hans said, with a discernible hint of bitterness. "Three of them pretended I was invisible... literally... for two years."

"That's horrible!" Anna said.

"It's what brothers do," he replied.

"And sisters," Anna added. "Elsa used to ignore me, too. But now I know why, so it's okay."

"May I be so bold as to ask why? Is it the same reason the gates are always closed?"

"Ummm, no..." Anna replied, she had to keep the secret! "It was to do with her... health. It's... personal."

"Oh, I see. Forgive me for prying," Hans said.

"It's fine!"

"Only it is unusual for them to be closed for so long. Everyone can't help but wonder why Arendelle's castle has been so secretive for thirteen years."

"Yeah..." Anna said, trying to think of something else to talk about that wouldn't lead her to expose Elsa's magic powers.

Luckily Hans had other plans.

"Will you allow me to take you to dinner?" he asked.

"Yes!" Anna replied.

Hans smiled at her as he stood up and offered her his hand.

She took it and Hans led her - along with the guard- to the place where he was staying; Arendelle's most expensive hotel and restaurant.

The head waiter showed the Prince and Princess to the best table in the establishment and made preparations to give them the highest service that was possible.

Kjartan sat in a chair by the wall opposite their table and prepared for a long night of constant vigilance.

Anna took her seat and giggled as Hans gently pushed it in for her before sitting down on the other side of the table, removing his gloves and laying them to one side.

"This is such a nice place!" Anna remarked. The atmosphere was lovely, just like every restaurant she had read about.

"Have you never been here before?" Hans asked.

"I've never been out of the castle, really," Anna admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's great being able to see the outside world at last! This is the first time Elsa has let me leave!"

"I would never keep you locked away," Hans said, taking her hand in his and gazing into her eyes.

Anna blushed, her smile widening as she felt the warmth of Hans' hand and the intensity of his eyes.

"It was cruel of Elsa to keep you inside."

Anna let go of his hand.

"Elsa's not cruel," she said. Hans didn't know her sister, and he had no right to speak about her like that.

The mood Hans had created was lost.

But at that moment, the waiters brought in their first course, accompanied by wine, and a profusion of bowing.

They began to eat their soup, but Anna was slightly put off by the way Hans ate; she didn't know it was possible to eat soup so loudly.

"So, tell me about Arendelle," Hans said once he had finished eating. "I confess, I didn't do much research before I travelled here. I don't suppose you know the annual gross national product?"

"Um, lutefisk is kind of gross..." Anna replied. Something told her that wasn't the right answer, but Hans didn't say otherwise so she decided to just roll with it. "And lots of people like pickled herring, but I think that's gross, too!"

"Me too," Hans said, smiling at her. "Have some wine!" He filled her glass.

After some more conversation and waiting, the main course arrived.

Anna decided she hated the way Hans ate. She knew her own manners weren't without fault, and Hans was not exactly impolite, but it was still unpleasant to watch.

He ate quickly and with all his attention fixed on his food. She guessed it must have been an ingrained habit from growing up with twelve brothers.

_Well, it doesn't matter_ , Anna thought to herself.  _Nobody's perfect..._

Hans finished before her and filled her wine glass again, emptying the bottle. He beckoned a waiter over to bring another, but Kjartan grabbed the waiter's arm as he passed and shook his head.

The waiter looked at Hans in confusion.

"Queen's orders," Kjartan said, firmly.

The waiter left.

Hans scowled in frustration.

Anna saw the look on his face and grew a little worried.

"Never mind!" she said, brightly. "We don't need wine to have fun!"

Hans smoothed his expression and turned back towards Anna. His plan was proving to be more difficult than he expected. He had intended to get Anna drunk and seduce her into his bed, then trick her into marrying him afterwards. He might still have a chance if he turned up the charm, but he knew he wouldn't get far with that guard watching them. And Anna seemed to be cooling towards him. He had thought this would be simple when he met her at the party...

Anna was getting bored. As far as she was concerned, the highlight of the evening had been the chocolate mousse, and she was actually glad when their meal was over and she could return to the castle. Her date with Hans had not been anywhere near as wonderful as she had expected.

Hans walked with her through the dark town to the castle gates, their arms linked together. They came to a halt and Anna knew it was time to say goodnight.

"Well, goodnight, Hans! Thanks for taking me to the restaurant, I had a nice time."

Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, standing closer to her.

"Goodnight, Anna," Hans said, softly.

Anna realised he looked like he wanted to kiss her, he was leaning in... But Anna could see Kjartan out of the corner of her eye, and she could hear Elsa's words in her head: " _Just remember not to rush anything_."

She didn't let Hans kiss her. It didn't feel right. Anna knew nobody was perfect, but she also knew that there were more perfect people than Hans out there. Anna backed out of his reach just in time.

Kjartan opened the small gate for her and Anna turned to Hans before going inside.

"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime. Bye!"

Feeling tired and still slightly drunk, Anna went to bed, glad to have experienced her first ever date, but confused about what she should do next about her relationship with Hans.

* * *

She woke up the following afternoon and asked Gerda to prepare a bath for her.

"Did you sleep well last night, Your Highness?" the old servant asked as she began to wash Anna's hair.

"Yes. Did you, Gerda?" Anna replied.

"No, Your Highness, I didn't. I was lying awake with worry until you got back."

"But it was fine! I kept Elsa's secret!" Anna reassured her.

"No, Your Highness," Gerda said, rinsing the soap from Anna's hair. "We all trust you not to tell anyone about that. I was worried about your safety."

"That prince called for you again this morning," Gerda continued after a few minutes of silence. "I don't like him, there's something... distant about his manner."

"Oh, you noticed that?" Anna asked. "I thought it was just me..."

"No, Princess Anna, there's definitely something off about him. If he was interested in you for the right reasons, he wouldn't act like that."

Anna remained quiet as Gerda gently combed out her wet hair. She had clearly been talking to Elsa.

"And your sister doesn't like him, either," Gerda said, cautiously, confirming Anna's suspicions. "Not that she'd admit it in so many words. But we would both rest easier if you agreed not to see him again."

"But he likes me!" Anna insisted. Although she was starting to believe otherwise, now.

"I should know, dear, it's not true love when a man acts like he does. You can't go rushing into the arms of the first man who pays you any attention! You'll know who the one destined for you is, when the time is right. Then you'll have no doubt that it's meant to be."

Anna thought this through while Gerda continued to style her hair.

"Thanks for your advice, Gerda. I'm glad you care so much about me."

"Not just me, dear," the servant replied. "We all do."

Anna knew she was referring to Elsa, and began to silently plan how she was going to find her sister later that day.

After going about the rest of her activities, Anna ended up outside Elsa's bedroom door. She wanted to tell Elsa not to worry about her, and that she wouldn't see Hans anymore if it made her unhappy.

Realising that she hadn't done this in quite a long time, Anna raised her fist and knocked five times on the door.

But just like all those times in the past, there was no answer.

"Elsa?" she called, and got down on her knees to try and peek under the door. She couldn't see anything clearly, but caught sight of a shadow and a shift in the light on the floorboards inside the room.

"Elsa, I can see you in there! Let me in!"

There was no answer, and no more signs of movement. She stood up and knocked once more.

"You can't stay in there forever now you're Queen!" Anna said.

She wasn't going to let this start again, but decided to leave her sister alone for now. Anna would let Elsa have her solitude today, but after that, she was adamant that she and Elsa would be together again, whether Elsa forbade it or not.


	4. Chapter 4

Anna arose early the next morning to start her mission of getting her sister back.

She decided to try a new approach and drop the gates issue for now; it wasn't getting anywhere and if Anna carried on asking it would just stand in the way of what was really important.

Anna needed to put Elsa first.

After her underwhelming date with Hans, Anna knew Elsa was the one who really cared about her. Elsa's warnings had seemed to be correct, everything she had said just made sense.

Anna had enjoyed spending time with Hans, for the most part, but it didn't feel as wonderful as she had expected and read about in countless romance novels throughout her life.

And Anna knew that she was worth more than him. If she agreed to marry someone only the thirteenth in line to his throne, Anna would be letting her country down, along with her sister and herself.

She could focus on other people later. For now, Anna wanted to help Elsa realise that everything could be just like it was when they were children. Her magic hadn't been a problem then, so there was no reason why it should be now. One single accident thirteen years ago was not an excuse for Elsa to hide her powers and avoid everyone else, as far as Anna was concerned.

But first, all she had to do was find her sister, and Elsa was proving to be particularly elusive today.

Anna had searched everywhere in the castle where she thought the Queen was likely to be, but with no success. She started with Elsa's room, and then her study, which were both locked, although she couldn't hear any sounds from within when she listened. After having no luck there, Anna tried the library and the Great Hall, but still couldn't find her sister. Then, when it was approaching lunch time, Anna tried looking in the castle kitchen, and in all the dining rooms.

She decided to try Elsa's study again, remembering that she had been there during the afternoon the other day, but on her way through the sunlit halls, Anna spotted Kai and ran over to talk to him.

"Ah! Princess Anna!" Kai said as she approached. "Prince Hans was asking for you again."

Anna had ignored Hans' letters and requests to see her for the past couple of days, after thinking about what both Gerda and Elsa had said. And the date had shown her that Hans wasn't perfect like she had thought at first. While in the library earlier, Anna had looked up what "gross national product" meant, remembering that Hans had asked her. It turned out, it was about the value of the economy; Hans  _did_  only care about what he would get if he married her. Elsa had been right.

He wasn't interested in Anna for herself. But she knew that Elsa really cared about her, deep down under her Queenly exterior, and she wanted to get her sister to show it again.

"I don't feel like seeing him right now," Anna told Kai. "I'd prefer to see Elsa. Do you know where she is?"

"Er, I'm sorry Your Highness, but your sister doesn't want to see you, and she has ordered me not to tell you her location," Kai replied, sadly.

"I thought so," Anna said, disappointed. She leaned against the wall and sighed. "I don't want her to start avoiding me again! At least now I know she's not doing it because she doesn't like me."

"Forgive me for speaking about Her Majesty like this," Kai began, after a couple of minutes of silence. "But I think she's wrong to stay away from you, Princess Anna. If she would only relax and let us all help her, I'm sure she could get her magic under control... And because of that, I am willing to disobey my orders."

Anna's face lit up as she shared a glance with Kai.

"But," he continued. "I think it would be better if you don't just go and confront her. You should try things a little differently..." He brought his gloved hand up to his face in thought.

"What do you have in mind?" Anna asked.

"Her Majesty has been meeting with a number of foreign officials today, and I can schedule in an extra appointment for you after all the real meetings have finished. I won't say it's you, of course. We'll use a fake name... The duchess of... somewhere-or-other, I'll think of that later. But I'm sure it will work, Your Highness!"

"Thanks, Kai! It's a perfect plan!"

"I'll do anything to see you and your sister happy together again, Princess Anna," Kai said, briefly taking one of Anna's hands in both of his.

Anna almost felt tears brimming in her eyes as Kai walked away. Anna was glad to have his support and, with his help, she and Elsa were going to be together again, she just knew it!

She went back to the kitchen for some food, and soon heard from Kai that she had an appointment in a few hours' time for an audience with the Queen in the Great Hall. Anna was thrilled and spent the remaining time planning what she was going to say to Elsa.

* * *

Queen Elsa had been meeting people all day and had just about had enough of trade discussions and foreign policy. She was glad that this next meeting was the final one before she could go back to being alone.

Elsa was seated in her throne, wearing a high-collared purple dress and black gloves, with her crown on her head and her blonde hair in a chignon.

She heard the door open and sat up straight, ready to greet her latest visitor, but stood up in surprise when she saw her sister instead.

Today, Elsa had been in the presence of strangers for longer than she had ever been in her life, but had no real worries about her powers hurting them, because none of them was Anna, the sister for whom she cared so deeply...

"Anna, you said you wouldn't find me again!" she complained, her voice echoing around the hall. "Please leave, I'm expecting to meet an ambassador here at any moment."

"You mean some duchess that Kai told you about?" Anna asked, still coming closer.

"Yes." Elsa left her throne and backed away off the dais towards the wall, her arms crossed over her.

"Hah! It worked! That 'duchess' is me! Kai and I tricked you!" Anna said, laughing at how they had managed to fool the Queen, despite all her regality.

"It's not funny. You have to go!" Elsa could feel the temperature drop in response to her annoyance.

"I'm not going anywhere," Anna said, firmly. She stood still once Elsa had reached the wall. She was reminded of when she had watched her father tame horses on some of the few occasions she had left the castle grounds with him, while he was teaching her to ride. King Agdar had taken Anna to the paddock, leaving her outside while he approached a shy young horse with wild eyes, backing away. He had approached it slowly, keeping eye contact, talking gently, but remaining persistent. Maybe that would work with her sister...

"Leave me alone, Anna!" Elsa said, her eyes pleading with Anna as she took a step towards her.

"Just listen to me," Anna began, keeping her voice soft. "Now that my memories are back, I remember you used to control your powers just fine!"

"Things have changed. They changed a long time ago," Elsa tried to explain, wishing Anna would stop coming closer.

"Your magic won't go away, Elsa," Anna said, now close enough for them to touch.

Elsa remained silent. For over ten years she had clung to the hope that somehow her powers would just fade away if she stopped using them, but Anna was right.

"Look, I only want to help you." Anna didn't like seeing her sister so distressed and instinctively tried to touch her arm, but Elsa sidestepped out of the way.

"You shouldn't ignore your magic," Anna continued. "Just try using it!"

"If I use my powers, something bad will happen. Like the last time..." The last time Elsa had consciously used and directed her magic had been the time it had hit Anna all those years ago, in this very room.

"That was just an accident," Anna said, gently, showing that she held no grudge against her sister for something that wasn't even her fault. "It only happened once and I know it won't happen again."

Anna sighed after she received no response from Elsa.

"You have to try, Elsa. You're not going to learn to control your magic if you don't practise."

Elsa thought she had a good point. Her father had always dismissed her when she used that argument against him. He always told her to contain it, wouldn't risk her using it at all after almost losing his youngest daughter. But now... Well, she was the Queen now... Everything was different. And part of her was desperate to let it go...

"Take off the gloves," Anna said, a command, not a request.

"I understand what you're saying, Anna," Elsa said. "And it's a good idea for me to practise. But I'm not doing it while you're here."

"I'm not afraid!" Anna insisted. "I can help you! And you'll have to get used to managing it while other people are around."

That was another good point, Elsa acknowledged. And it would be better to try using it now, with someone who knew her secret, rather than risk exposing her powers in front of strangers...

"Take off the gloves," Anna repeated.

Anna was so determined. Everything she said made sense and struck a chord within her sister.

Elsa decided to try it just for a moment. She could put the gloves back on immediately if anything started to go wrong.

She slowly removed both of her gloves and put them in a pocket of her dress, half hanging out so she could get them if she needed to.

The air in the hall grew perceptibly colder.

"Just relax," Anna said, softly. She could sense that Elsa was worried as she stood looking at her bare hands.

Elsa heard Anna's voice and suddenly regretted even beginning to contemplate doing magic around her. It was dangerous to even try with her sister so close.

"No. I can't do this, I - "

"Elsa, look at me," Anna interrupted, still not ready to give up. "Remember how it was when we were little? You used to do your magic for me all the time! Just remember how it used to be."

Elsa focused on Anna's eyes and tried to do what she said. She remembered the feeling of connecting with that endless source of energy that was her magic, and how she would use it to create all those beautiful things to make Anna happy.

Surreptitiously, in those few moments of eye contact, Anna took both of Elsa's hands in her own, gently lacing their fingers together.

Elsa gasped at the contact and looked down at their joined hands, unable to move, her mind numb with the rush of panic and a myriad of other feelings swirling around inside her.

"See?" Anna asked, holding her hands a little tighter. "Nothing's happening!" Elsa's hands were cold, Anna admitted, but no more than that.

It was the first time Elsa had touched another person's skin since she was eight years old. She was surprised by the warmth of Anna's hands and the softness of her touch. But most of all she was surprised by the lack of magic. She could still feel it in her, but it wasn't doing anything... Maybe her sister was right.

"Yeah..." Elsa stood still, thinking that maybe there was hope for everything after all. Then Anna let go of her hands.

"I want to try one of my memories," Anna said, suddenly reaching out and tickling Elsa in the ribs.

In her relaxed state, Elsa immediately gave in to the laughter that Anna's tickle attack produced, but at almost exactly the same moment she remembered the effects that tickling had on her.

Elsa directed her hands behind her so the blast of magic that flowed freely and unbidden from her fingers wouldn't hit Anna.

The magic formed a large, soft pile of snow where it landed, and Elsa caught her breath.

"Anna, don't! It's too- " she protested, but dissolved into laughter again as Anna resumed. She tried to retreat to the side out of her sister's reach and headed back towards her throne, but Anna followed her relentlessly, still tickling her.

Elsa held her arms out as far away from Anna as she could and kept trying to back away, but found it hopeless to resist her sister and lost herself in the pleasurable agony of being tickled, and all the memories of when they used to do this as children.

Anna kept following Elsa with a smile on her face, loving the beautiful sound of her sister's laughter echoing all around the hall and loving being so close to her. She also loved seeing Elsa's magic for the first time in over a decade. She felt the cold freshness it created as it rushed past her and struck the floor, Anna remembered that pleasant chill, somehow not like normal snow.

They came to a halt as Elsa backed into the throne and abruptly sat down. Anna ended up on her lap and looked down at her flushed face before examining the hall around them.

There were several tall mounds of snow scattered about the hall, some of them almost reaching the high ceiling.

"It's a new record!" Anna exclaimed. "They're much higher than the ones I remember!"

Elsa had regained control of her breathing and looked up at Anna sitting on top of her, surrounding her in her warmth. Elsa felt her heart racing in her chest and didn't move. Anna was so close that she could clearly see the white streak of hair in her braid. She could feel herself beginning to panic with the fear of hurting her sister again and kept her bare hands clenched, away from Anna's body.

But they only stayed like that for a few moments before Anna stood up and went to investigate the nearest snow pile.

As soon as Anna had moved away, Elsa reached for the gloves in her pocket and put them back on.

"Anna, you shouldn't have done this," Elsa said, once she found her voice; her throat was slightly hoarse from laughing. "It's not good for me to be around you. My magic is unpredictable. We were lucky this time, but I'm not going to risk it again. Please stay away - "

"But I'm not afraid, Elsa! Your magic is beautiful!" Anna replied, taking a handful of soft snow and throwing it up in the air. "It's not a curse, it's a gift! You just have to - "

"No. It's a curse," Elsa said, firmly. "Because of it I can't touch anything..."  _Anything I love..._  "... Without risking damaging it. You have to understand how dangerous I am, Anna. Please don't come near me again!" Elsa ran out of the hall as she felt a torrent of emotions building within her, dodging the piles of snow on the way to the door.

"Elsa!" Anna called, but it was too late, her sister had gone.

But Anna knew they had made progress today, even if it had ended with Elsa running away again. Anna had touched her at last! And she had seen her smile and heard her laugh, two things she had missed dearly since their separation.

Of course, she was going to find Elsa again tomorrow. Her sister couldn't exactly avoid her in the castle, and certainly not now she had Kai to help her.

Things were going to get better and this was just the beginning. Anna knew she and Elsa would both be able to return to the happiness they had shared in their childhood, even if it was going to take a lot of effort for them both. But it would be worth it.


	5. Chapter 5

Anna found that it was much easier to run wearing riding breeches instead of a dress. She dashed quickly through the castle courtyard after the guards let her through one of the smaller side doors in the castle wall.

She wanted to thank Elsa for giving her permission to visit the stables that day, and also to spend time with her, since Elsa had refused her requests to meet, and Anna still hadn't given up on her goal of completely rediscovering their sisterly bond.

After entering the castle, Anna ran through the halls, wondering which place would be best to try first on her search for Elsa today, but luckily, she almost bumped into Kai on one of the castle's flights of stairs.

"She's in her study!" Kai called out to her as she opened her mouth. He didn't even need to be asked to know what Anna was doing.

"Oh, thanks, Kai!" Anna turned around, nearly tripping over her own feet, and hurried back down the stairs.

Kai smiled to himself at Anna's boundless enthusiasm, knowing only too well that the Princess never gave up until she got what she wanted. At least in this case, Anna was doing something good for both her sister and herself by trying to help Elsa with her powers, unlike many of Anna's previous mischievous escapades in the past. Kai knew that Anna's optimism was quite possibly the only thing that could make Elsa relax and become as happy as she had been as a small child.

Anna burst through the door to Elsa's study and immediately began to tell her sister about her day.

"Elsa, I just had the most amazing time - Oh..." Anna stopped herself when she realised that she and Elsa were not alone.

"You may leave now, Mr Bjorgman," Elsa said to the blond, fur-clad man sitting opposite her.

He got up and took in Anna's dishevelled appearance, narrowing his eyes.

"I feel like I know you from somewhere..." he said.

"I highly doubt that you do, Mr Bjorgman," Elsa said, glancing at him sharply. "This is my sister, Princess Anna."

"Oh! Sorry, Your Majesty, Your Highness," he said, bowing awkwardly to them both.

"It's fine!" Anna said, she didn't actually mind being spoken to like a commoner.

"Uh, goodbye," he added lamely, before leaving and closing the door behind him.

"What were you talking to him about?" Anna asked sitting down in the now unoccupied seat opposite Elsa.

"If you must know, we were discussing ice," Elsa replied, hoping her sister would leave once she had given her an answer. "He's an ice harvester."

Anna laughed at the idea of anyone in the kingdom needing to harvest ice when they had a much easier source right here in the castle.

"Did you tell him he's out of a job?" she asked when her small giggling fit had finished, and looked into Elsa's serious face.

"My magic is no laughing matter," Elsa said, standing up and moving further away. "And I'm not going to go through this with you again, Anna. Please respect what I've said because it's for your own good. I told you not to come and find me. I'm dangerous!"

"And  _I_ told  _you_ : I'm not afraid. I just want to spend time with you, Elsa! We can work this whole thing out together!" Anna said, standing up herself.

"No, we can't," Elsa replied, tensing in anticipation of a repeat of yesterday's encounter.

"But you can't just ignore your magic," Anna said, doing exactly what Elsa had expected and approaching her. "You can't just ignore me, either! I'm tired of you avoiding me when I'm trying to help you!"

"You can't help me, Anna. I'll end up hurting you! I can't experience that again, it would..." Elsa felt the magic rising within her, felt her fear and the guilt of being responsible for hurting her sister before. Having to live with that was unbearable, even though Anna was here, even though she had survived...  _But imagine if she hadn't..._  "You don't understand!"

"Stop being so negative, Elsa! We're not going to change anything if you don't let me understand!" Anna quickly reached out with both her hands and pulled off Elsa's gloves before she could move away.

Elsa gasped, shocked that Anna would do something so reckless, and backed into a wall. Then, moving as quick as lightning, ice spread out from her bare hand where she touched it. Elsa glanced behind her and withdrew her hands, holding them both clenched at her chest, but the brief contact had been enough to cover the entire wall in a layer of blue ice.

"You have to get out of here now!" Elsa yelled, aware she was rapidly losing control.

Anna was surprised by the feeling of Elsa's magic, so unlike the soft snow of yesterday. The ice was now spreading down the wall and onto the floor towards her, but Anna stayed where she was.

"Just calm down and try to make it disappear," she said.

The ice moved under her, suddenly changing the surface, but Anna was wearing riding boots and was confident she wouldn't slip. She attempted to take a step forwards but almost lost her balance.

"Woah! I'm okay, I'm okay!" Anna said, both for herself and Elsa, as she steadied herself and stood upright again.

Seeing that Anna hadn't been hurt, Elsa tried to do what her sister had said and silently commanded the magic to go away. But nothing happened. The ice advanced further until it had engulfed the desk.

"Don't you see? It doesn't work!" Elsa said, in desperation. "Just stay away from me, Anna! I'm better off alone."

"Nobody is better off alone, Elsa! We just have to keep trying, you've got to let me help! Elsa, I love you!"

With Anna's words, the ice retracted from around them and faded throughout the rest of the room. Elsa didn't understand why, what Anna said only made her feel more guilty and brought tears to her eyes.

"You shouldn't love me," she said, not making eye contact. The air grew chilled and a few quivering snowflakes fell around them as Elsa cried quietly.

"Don't say that!" Anna replied, stepping up to her on the thawed floor. "Don't ever say that, Elsa. I love you and I just want to help you." Anna raised her hand to try and touch her sister's arm, but, seeing her shy away, raised her other hand instead and held out her gloves.

Anna felt guilty herself for upsetting Elsa, yet she also knew that it meant she needed to try harder to make Elsa see that she was approaching this all wrong. But Anna considered that she should try a different approach herself, maybe her sister still wasn't ready to deal with her powers and her memories yet, maybe Anna should be more gentle with her.

Elsa slowly reached out and took back her gloves, being careful not to touch her sister's skin. She put them on and sighed with relief as she felt them contain her magic again. The snowfall subsided, and the temperature returned to normal.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your meeting," Anna said, to break the silence.

"It's fine," Elsa replied. She wiped her eyes with her fingers and composed herself. "It wasn't important."

"I'm gonna go now," Anna said after a few seconds of silence. "Are you all right?"

"I'll feel better when you're away from me and somewhere safe."

"Okay! I get it! I'll leave you alone," Anna said, going out of the study. "For now, anyway," she muttered to herself once she had closed the door.

Ever since she had found out the reason why Elsa kept herself isolated, Anna wanted more than anything to take her away from all this wasted pain; she knew it didn't have to be like this.

But she had to give her sister a little more time. Elsa was busy with her royal duties, too, and all this Queen business must be a lot to adjust to.

Persistence was important, but Anna decided she should be more subtle with her approach. If she was more sensitive towards her sister's feelings, then she'd let Anna in. She walked off through the halls to think of a new plan.

Elsa returned to her desk and slumped forward with her head in her gloved hands.

She thought about her numerous failures; she failed at controlling her powers, and she failed at being a sister.

_Why do you love me, Anna?_  Elsa wondered, trying to make sense of why her sister seemed so intent on bringing their lives together again.  _I almost killed you. And then I ignored you for over a decade..._

Elsa knew that it was certainly important to make sure she didn't lose Anna physically, but it occurred to her that if she carried on refusing Anna's requests she might risk losing her mentally... She was lucky Anna hadn't given up on her already.

For the past few days since her coronation, Elsa had been in an almost constant state of panic underneath her calm exterior. There were so many changes she had to get used to now she was Queen.

She had to work extra hard to hide her powers now in front of all the people she had to meet with, which was especially difficult considering that Elsa had spent so many years in near isolation, only seeing the same faces of the castle's servants, who all knew her secret.

But her main worry was having to be around Anna again. At first, Elsa had thought she would be able to avoid her after the party, but she realised that didn't make sense. And Anna's insistence on secretly surprising her with visits did nothing but hinder her ability to focus.

Elsa sighed. Whenever she worried these days, she usually tried to think what her father would have done if he were here. He had always told her to stay away from Anna, to never use her powers and to keep all her feelings hidden... On the rare, formal occasions where both Princesses were required to be present, Elsa was told not to speak to Anna or even look at her, and as the years went by she had grown numb as ignoring her sister became an everyday occurrence.

But now Elsa felt only guilt as she realised how sad and confused Anna must have been for all those years... Lonely and deprived of her sister without even knowing the truth... Well, at least she knew why, now.

Part of Elsa knew her father had failed both of his daughters; nothing he had advised changed anything for the better. But she didn't have to follow his rules anymore, not now she was the Queen.

Elsa decided to examine her feelings instead of suppressing them. She certainly wanted to see Anna, even though the years of avoidance told her she wasn't supposed to. But the only thing really stopping her from seeing Anna was herself... And she made the rules now...

She owed Anna. What Anna wanted from her wasn't unreasonable...

Elsa had wasted a lot of time avoiding her; a sister and a friend who had always been there and always would be. Anna wouldn't give up on Elsa or tell her to hide herself; she only saw the good in their situation and she wanted to help.

And, Elsa acknowledged, there  _was_  hope with her powers. She had seen that yesterday when they had touched... But Elsa wasn't ready to try  _that_  again.

If all Anna wanted was to spend some time together, then Elsa could give her that much.

She just had to make sure that Anna wouldn't get too close, or force her to deal with her powers; Elsa was still adamant about protecting Anna from her magic, but as long as they didn't touch it should be all right...

Elsa picked up some paper and a quill intending to write to her sister. She wanted to tell Anna that she would agree to meet with her, but only under her conditions; that Anna wouldn't get too close, and that they would not discuss her magic.

But she didn't know how to start, she didn't want it to sound too formal...

_Just write it_  , Elsa told herself.  _Anna has been waiting to spend time with you for years, she won't care how you ask her_.

At last, Elsa managed to put her thoughts into words and soon she had written a note asking Anna to meet with her later that day, once she had finished her royal appointments.

* * *

Mere minutes after Elsa had finished writing it, Gerda handed the note to Anna.

"Is it from Hans?" Anna asked, looking up from the novel she was reading and examining the folded paper.

"No, it's from your sister," Gerda replied, giving her a smile and feeling glad that Elsa was attempting to communicate with her, even if it wasn't in person.

Anna felt her heart rate speed up at this unexpected news.

"I'll leave you to read it alone, dear," Gerda said, before walking out of the room.

Anna immediately unfolded the paper and read her sister's words.

" _Anna_ ," Elsa had written, " _If you still want to meet with me, come to my study at seven this evening. But, please, don't get too close and don't mention my secret._ "

She had signed it with her fancy, official signature, and Anna was pleased that Elsa had actually listened to her words during their earlier discussion and taken time away from her Queenly duties to think of her.

Anna had known that Elsa would let her into her life eventually, but this was much sooner than she had hoped; she had expected it would take her a few days to even consider seeing Anna again, rather than a few hours...

She wasn't sure what Elsa wanted to get out of their meeting, but Anna agreed it would be best not to try and touch her again. Elsa was clearly still not ready for anything like that yet, Anna realised, but she didn't mind. Now Elsa was willing to at least be in the same room as her sister, so Anna didn't have to try and ambush her anymore.

Anna busied herself with her usual activities for the rest of the day until the appointed time came for her to meet with her sister.

As soon as the library clock struck seven, Anna ran down the stair and across the halls, sliding along the wooden floor until she reached the door of Elsa's study.

Like the last time Anna had met with Elsa - on a pre-arranged occasion, anyway - she was a little hesitant at first, but decided to knock cheerfully on the door.

Anna's heart lifted when she heard Elsa call "come in," and she felt even more elated when she opened the door to see Elsa waiting for her, with a shy smile on her lips.

"Thanks for inviting me here, Elsa," she said, taking a seat in the chair opposite Elsa's desk. "I promise I won't touch you! And... I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's all right," Elsa replied. "I forgive you, and I'm sorry, too... For avoiding you all this time. I know it must have been difficult."

Elsa looked at her sister, taking in her expression, her genuine smile. She saw that Anna had changed out of her riding breeches and was now wearing a beautiful green dress. Elsa realised that she could now relax and spend time with her sister without worrying too much about her magic. Anna wouldn't touch her, she just wanted to talk.

"So," Elsa began. "What did you want to tell me earlier? Something about the stables?"

"Oh yeah! I wanted to say thanks for letting me go, I had so much fun!" Anna then proceed to tell Elsa about her adventures that day in the royal stables.

Elsa was glad she had a good time; she wasn't so concerned about Anna venturing into the town while in the trusted company of the guards, she considered that to be safer than herself, especially when her emotions were high.

And Elsa had forgotten just how much Anna liked to talk! But it didn't bother her, she listened happily to her sister's cheerful recount of her day.

"What about you?" Anna asked when she had finished. "How was your meeting with the ice guy? Well, before I walked in... Did you tell him about your powers? Maybe he can help!" In her excitement, and her determination to help her sister, Anna forgot that Elsa had asked her not to discuss her magic, but Elsa found she didn't mind.

"I'm not telling  _anyone_  about my powers," Elsa explained. "Besides, ice harvesting is different from ice magic. That man was from the ice harvester's guild and he just had a business matter to discuss."

"Well, Arendelle won't need ice harvesters when you learn to control your powers," Anna replied. "Then you can just create ice for everyone here in the town!"

"I don't think that's going to happen, Anna," Elsa said. There were too many reasons; mostly because Elsa doubted she would ever be able to control her magic, and also because she would never use it to destroy a trade that had been going for centuries and was important to the economy.

"Anyway," Elsa continued, steering the conversation away from her powers. "How was your... date with Prince Hans the other day?"

"Oh..." Anna hadn't been expecting her to ask. "It was okay. He's nice, I guess. He certainly looks nice! But I didn't let him kiss me."

Elsa didn't want to hear about anything like that, but was glad that Anna hadn't.

"I kind of got the feeling you were right about him, though," Anna continued. "But I'm not sure..."

"Do you still feel like you want to get to know him?" Elsa asked. If Anna had said yes now, in her guilty state, Elsa might have agreed to her sister pursuing a relationship with him if it was what she wanted, regardless of the uncertainties surrounding the man.

"No. Well, not 'no.' But not now, anyway," Anna replied. "You're more important to me than any prince, Elsa. You need me more than he does. And blood is thicker than water, as they say!" She reached out towards Elsa's gloved hand on the desk, but respected what her sister had asked of her and withdrew it before they touched.

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" Anna asked, standing up. She felt their conversation had come to an end today, even though they had so much catching-up to do. But Anna didn't want to push Elsa too far twice in one day.

"Yes, of course!" Elsa was disappointed she was leaving, but she had been left almost speechless by Anna's words and the strength of the unconditional love she felt from her. "I'll be here again at the same time. But today's rules still apply; no touching."

"I'll remember! Goodnight!" Anna said, heading for the door.

"Goodnight, Anna!" Elsa called after her.

Anna walked away happily. It had been a day of changes, albeit small ones. But hopefully they would lead to the start of a positive new life together. Patience, persistence and love would bring her sister back to her, and they could become as close as they used to be, Anna was sure.


	6. Chapter 6

The next evening, Elsa sat in the same place, at the same time as she had done yesterday, waiting for her sister.

Elsa was glad that she had let herself agree to see Anna again. But she also felt nervous, or at least she thought it was nervousness.

She had been studying her own feelings carefully in the short time since she had stopped suppressing them and found it was like discovering a whole other way of living. Unfortunately, there were no books written on the subject of how to feel instead of conceal one's emotions, so Elsa had to try and figure it all out herself. But maybe Anna would be able to help her now, at least...

What Elsa did know about her feelings was that whenever she remembered that Anna would be coming soon, she couldn't concentrate on much else.

The inner-child part of her that she had suppressed for so long was eager to make up for lost time and pay no heed to the need to stay at a safe distance, was desperate for human contact with her sister...

Yet Elsa knew she still had to worry about her magic. It was totally unpredictable; she was still stunned by how it had suddenly stopped, seemingly without any reason yesterday after Anna had pulled off her gloves.

But everything would be fine if she kept her gloves on and Anna didn't make physical contact, as she had promised.

Elsa looked through the paperwork she had been perusing in preparation for tomorrow, it was mostly letters of congratulation on her coronation from various officials, or new trade proposals from countries thinking that, with a new monarch on the throne, Arendelle would change the fairly rigid trading policy it had maintained for the past decade.

Her heart wasn't in it, however, and Elsa found that she kept glancing over at the clock on her desk, watching the hand creep closer to the hour when Anna would arrive.

In procrastination, she picked up a small book that happened to be on her desk, a gift from some foreign delegate, and leafed through the pages. It appeared to be a book of poetry and Elsa read the verses on the page where the book fell open.

_"And this maiden she lived with no other thought_

_Than to love and be loved by me._

_I was a child and she was a child,_

_In this kingdom by the sea;_

_But we loved with a love that was more than love -_

_I and my Anna..."_

Five loud knocks interrupted her.

Elsa jumped in surprise before closing the book and putting it in the desk's drawer; she didn't know why she had the impulse to do so, she was just affected by the way the poem had seemed to take her own personal thoughts and displayed them to her, as literature sometimes does.

"Come in, Anna!" Elsa called, without getting up.

Anna smiled at her sister as she entered the room. She had decided to try and be a little more informal with Elsa today, to try and take her out of her comfort zone ever so slightly, not as drastically as the last couple of times, though. Anna just wanted to make their meeting more relaxed; they were sisters, not trading partners, after all.

She sat down on the couch instead of the chair on the other side of the desk.

"Come and sit with me, Elsa," Anna said, in a calm tone of voice, showing she wasn't going to make a big deal out of things if Elsa refused, even though she intended to persevere as much as she could.

"I think it's best if I stay here," Elsa replied. She liked having the physical barrier of the desk between them for safety. "So," she continued, raising her voice slightly, but otherwise acting as if her sister was sitting in front of her instead of the opposite end of the room. "What did you do today?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," said Anna, determined to stay where she was and get Elsa to join her. "But it's hard to hear you from over here!"

Elsa sighed. "Fine..." she conceded, realising it was pointless to persist with her aim of formality for these meetings with Anna. She was tired after working for so long on her royal business, and the couch would be more comfortable than the chair she had spend almost all day in, anyway.

With her arms folded, Elsa left her seat at the desk and walked over to the couch, sitting on it as far apart from Anna as she could.

Anna's face lit up, feeling proud of her sister for daring to get a little closer.

"That wasn't so difficult, see?" Anna said, before she instinctively reached across the gap between them and placed her hand on Elsa's thigh.

Elsa didn't move and stared at Anna's hand on her leg. She could hear her heart pounding and felt the urge to panic and move away, but Elsa also noted that her powers did nothing in the few seconds they stayed like that. She looked up at Anna's face.

Anna gazed at her sister for a moment before she realised where she had just put her hand.

"Oops, sorry!" She took it away. "I didn't mean to touch you, I just forgot!" Anna genuinely had not meant to make physical contact, she had merely followed an unconscious impulse to be close to Elsa.

Elsa could feel the warmth of Anna's hand lingering on her leg, gradually spreading to her face.

"It's... it's fine," Elsa said, obeying the urge to look away from Anna. When she looked back into her teal-coloured eyes a second later, Elsa felt something within her stir and awaken in response to the love she saw there.  _"A love that was more than love..."_

She remembered yesterday and how her magic had reacted, retreating after Anna had said those three words that Elsa still felt she was unworthy to hear from her sister... She also remembered the words she had heard said on that life-changing night many years ago...  _"The heart is not so easily changed."_

Elsa's own heart had not changed towards Anna, not at its core, despite all the years she and her parents had spent trying to stifle her feelings.

And now Elsa felt a spark rekindling the fire of her own love for this beautiful girl who was so determined to be in her life again.

It felt like a long time had gone by as she thought of all this, but in reality it was just a few moments before Anna broke the spell by speaking.

"So, have you been busy? It looks like you've got a lot of papers on your desk..." Anna said, feeling bad for accidentally touching her sister, but trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"I was preparing for my first council meeting tomorrow," Elsa replied. "Actually... I think you should attend it with me. I meant to ask you before but things got in the way. Will you join me there tomorrow?"

"Really? I'm not sure if I should. I mean - "

"You won't have to do or say anything if you don't want to," Elsa cut in. "All you'd have to do is listen and pay attention. It's important for you, since you're my heir. And..." Elsa looked down shyly, unused to admitting her feelings. "I'd like your company... The rest of the councillors are all old men."

"Well if you want me to be there, then of course!" Anna replied, secretly thrilled to hear that Elsa actually valued her company. Even though she had never given up hope that her sister still did, even after all these years.

"Thank you." Elsa smiled warmly at her. "Also," she continued, given confidence now that she knew Anna was willing to cooperate with her wishes. "I think you need to start learning about the responsibilities that come with being the heir. I can arrange for you to have a tutor, or, if you prefer... I can teach you myself."

"I want you to do it, Elsa!" Anna exclaimed. "I couldn't stand having another tutor, I never liked the ones I had when I was little. But I'll definitely be able to pay attention if you're the one teaching me!"

"That's settled then!" said Elsa, happily. She thought it would be good to have something to focus on during the time they spent together, instead of things being unstructured as they currently were, dissolving into awkward silences and giving her strange feelings... Also she would be able to take Anna's mind of that Southern Isles Prince, who was still very much someone to beware of.

"Shall we start now?" Elsa asked, standing up again.

"Sure! Whatever you want, Elsa," Anna said and followed her sister, remembering to maintain a reasonable between them.

Elsa showed her what she had been doing and explained to Anna all the things she had to consider for discussion at tomorrow's meeting.

Anna listened, paying attention to all her sister told her and taking it in. She loved hearing Elsa's voice, still becoming accustomed how mature and refined she now sounded compared to Anna's memories of her younger self. And Anna loved how Elsa managed to explain everything in a way that made sense and kept her interested, unlike the tutors of her childhood.

Even though she learned a lot about the structure of the council and the current issues in the kingdom, Anna mostly thought about how, slowly but steadily, she was getting Elsa to open up. Their interactions were still formal, but that was something they were working on. This evening seemed to be another step closer to the relationship that both had dreamed of and missed for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem is Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee." If you didn't already know that: stop reading fanfic and go and read some real literature! XD (I'm just kidding! Thanks for reading my story. Things will get more interesting in the next couple of chapters.)


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